Locking mechanism for type wheels of printing machines



Feb. 3, 1948. F. KOSMER 2,435,434

5 9J5 N 0 R INVENTOR. RI FRANK KOSMER ATTORNEYS.

'kMW/W Feb. 3,1948. F. KosMER 2,435,434

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR TYPE'WHEELS OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed-July 14," 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q E; x-

INVENTOR.

' FRANK KOS ER ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 3, 1948 LOCKING MECHANISM FOR TYPE WHEELS OF PRINTING MACHINES Frank Kosmer, Syracuse, N. Y., assig'nor to Philip N. Braun Inc., L'osAngeles, Califl, a corporation of California Application July 14, 1945, Serial No. 605,013

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to printing machines which embody type carrying members or wheels operable to set different type at the printing line and a printing mechanism including an operating member or platen movable toward and from the printing line to print on a work-piece the characters at the printing line; and has for its object locking means for holding the type carrying members or wheels in their set position, which locking means is operable by the movement of the printing member or platen from starting position toward printing position, but which is not moved out of operative position during the retrograde movement of the platen but on the contrary is releasable at the will of the operator, so that the type wheels are held with a predetermined type in printing position for printing repeatedly on different work-pieces. More specifically, it also has for its object, motion transmitting means between the operating member or platen and the locking member which includes a lost motion device embodying a spring through which the forward motion of the operating member is transmitted to the locking element but which permits the retrograde movement of the operating member without releasing the locking element.

Other objects appear throughout the specification.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and, constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying this invention, the side plate or wall of the machine being removed.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the plane of line 2--2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the locking mechanism and contiguous parts shown in Figure 1, the locking mechanism being shown,

as in open or released position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the locking mechanism as in locked position and the operating member of the printing mechanism, that is, the platen being shown as part way in its movement toward printing position.

Figure 5 is a plan view of parts seen in Figure 4.

Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the looking mechanism and contiguous parts, the locking mechanism being shown as in unlocked position (Figure 6) and in locked position (Figure 7) The invention is here shown as applied to .a machine for printing identifying characters on pieces of laundry or on laundry tags. Each customer of a laundry has his own identifying code character or number. The pieces of laundry of each customer bear the same identifying numher or character, andtherefore, when the laundry is sorted, the customers code number is printed thereon, or if the same code number previously applied grows dim is again printed thereon. The feature of this invention is a particularly simple mechanism for locking the type wheels in set position during repeated printing of the same code or code characters. a

The machine here shown includes a series of type carrying members, as wheels 1, mounted upon a shaft 2 suitably mounted in a casing 3, these wheels carrying type on their peripheries and being operable about the shaft 2 to set different type at the printing line L. The type wheels are operated by means of radially ex tending pins or handles 4 extending through slots in the top plate 5 of the machine, this top plate, it being understood, having index characters along. the slots, through which the pins 4 extend, indicating the type character at the printing line, when the radial arm is opposite that character on the index plate 5.

6- designates the inking mechanism as a whole. As the inking mechanism forms no part of this invention, further description thereof is thought to be unnecessary.

The printing mechanism includes an operating member 1 which carries a platen 8 movable toward and from the printing line L, the member I being here shown as a rock arm mounted on a shaft 9 in the casing and having handles [0 at its outer end adjacent and on opposite sides of the platen B. V

In operation, the operator holds the piece of laundry with both hands at the same time and takes hold of the handles in and draws the laundry taut across the platen 8, and then operates the platen from starting position to the printing position, bringing the fabric, stretched across the platen 8, against the type at the printing line. Just prior to the bringing of the platen and the interposed laundry against the type at the printing line, the inking mechanism inks the type and moves out of the path of the platen. The printing mechanism is, in this embodiment of the invention, also operated by the operating member l, as by means of a rock arm II on the member 7- and having a pin which coacts with a notch in a pull link latch l2 which is part or the printing mechanism. When the operating member is about half way on its movement toward printing position, the arm H has been moved far enough to move the link I 2 far enough The locking mechanism includes a spring pressed pawl l4 having a tooth l5 coacting with ratchet teeth l6 on the type wheel I, there being one pawl I4 for each type wheel, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The pawl teeth l5 and the rack teeth I6 are at such an angle as to ratchetim either direction during setting of the wheels by their handles 4. r The locking mechanism further includes a looking element li common to all the pawls l4 and position shown in Figure 4, through motion transmitting mechanism which includes a lost motion device by which the motion, is transmitted through a spring during the forward movement I only of the operating member I and moves the locking member into locking position but permits the locking member to move relatively to the lockmg element ll durin the retrograde movement ,7

of the operating member 1, leaving the locking element I! in its locked position, as seen in Figures 4 and 7. As here illustrated, the motion transmitting mechanism consists of a manually operable release rod l8 slidably mounted in the I case and having a handle 19 located outside of the case, the release rod [8 being connected at its inner end to the locking element [1, which, as

shown, is a rock arm on the locking element l7,

the hub of which is a cam 24. The motion transmitting mechanism includes a portion of this release rod l8, a spring 20 interposed between a shoulder or collar 2| on the rod and a sliding shoulder or collar 22 connected at 23 too. lug on the operating member I.

Durin forward movement of the operating member'l, as from the positionshown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 4, the motion is transmitted to the rod l8 and hence to the locking member I. The cam 24 of the locking member l1 coacts with the latches l4. The high point of the cam 24 moves up against the latches l4 when the latch teeth are between the teeth of the rack 86, and hence holds the latches [4 in their operated positions, until the operator pulls outwardly on the handle I9 of the release rod l8. Preferably, spring means is provided for preventing shifting of the locking element l'l', when either in unlocked or unlocking position, and as here shown, this means consists of an over-the-center spring 25 (Figures 6 and 7) anchored at its upper end at 26 to a fixed point in the case or frame and at its other or lower end at 21 to the rock arm of the locking member I1, and during the movement of the rock arm I! from unlocked to locked position or from lockedto unlocked position, this spring or the lower end thereof shifts from either side of a line passing through the axis of the rock arm I! and the anchoring point 26 to the other side thereof. Normally, the pawls I4 hold the wheels from dropping down by gravity and eliminate additional counterbalancing means.

'Duringsetting of the type wheels, the pawls l4 merely ratchet;

It is thus apparent that this locking mechanism is particularly simple and compact and easily applied to-the; printing wheels and the printing mechanism and the locking mechanism operated to locked position only during the forward movement of the platen and is not unlocked by the retrograde movement.

What I claim is: v V

1. In a printing machine, the combination of movable type carrying membersoperable individually to set different type at the printing" line,- and printing mechanism including a reciprocally movable operating member; of locking mecha-- nism operable to hold the type carryingmemhers in their set positions,including an element common to all of the type carrying members, motion transmitting mechanism between the op:- erating member and the locking element, a spring arrangedjto yieldingly transmit the mo tion of the operating member to the locking mechanism in one direction only when'the op:- erating member is being moved from startin position toward printing position, means operable at will to shift the locking element to 111ilocked position, the locking' element including'a rock arm and the release means including a rod connected to the rock arm eccentric to its axis, and an over-the-center' spring device anchored at one end at a fixed point relative tofthe move ment of the rock arm and having itsothrfend connectedto the rock arm and movable vvith the rock arm during the operation of therock arm from either side of a straight line passing through the axis of the rock arm and the an choring point of'the spring to the other side thereof. 7 j

2. In a printing machine, the combination with an enclosing casing, movable upright t pe car; ryingwheels operable individually about a horizontal axis to set different type atthe printing line, and printing mechanism'i'ncluding a reciprocally movable operating'member havinga nected to said element to transmit mo'tiori'the'reto in one direction to move the same into pawl locking position and in the other direction to release the pawls, motion transmitting'means between the operating member and said rod in cluding spring means to yieldingly transmit motion to the rod in said one direction only when the operating member is moved from starting toward printing position. v

3. In a printing machine, the combination with movable type carrying members operable individually to set difierent type at the printing line, and printing mechanism including a reciprocally movable operating member; of locking mechanism operable to hold the type carrying members in their set positions including ratcheting latches individual to the type carrying members and coasting therewith, an element common to all the latches and shiftable in one direction to lock the latches from ratcheting, and in the opposite direction to free the latches, motion transmitting means between the operating member and the locking element including a spring arranged to yieldingly transmit the motion of the operating member to the locking element during the movement of the operating member to efiect the printing operation when the operating member is being moved from starting position toward printing position to move said element into latch locking position, the spring constituting a yielding lost motion device between the operating member and the locking element, and release mechanism including an axially movable release rod connected to said locking element to move it in the opposite direction to operate the same to free the latches, the spring being located between a shoulder of the rod and a shoulder operated by the operating member to transmit the motion of the operating member to the locking element through the spring to move said element to latch locking position when said operating member is moved toward printing position.

FRANK KOSMER.

' REFERENCES orrnp The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

